Bad Things Happen
by BregoBeauty
Summary: Jackson had not been joking when he said bad things happen to good people. An unlikely alliance is formed after a neardeath experience between two former enemies. [twisted JxL]
1. Chapter One

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** Jackson Rippner is attacked in the hospital following the red-eye and forced to fight for his life. He disappears and by chance, is reunited with Lisa Reisert, only to have someone make an attempt to kill them moments later. Now, they bind together to save themselves. Can two former enemies put aside their differences long enough to save their lives?

**Chapter One**

Oh how he despised her! That oh-so "innocent" Lisa Reisert had nearly ended his life! The bitch had cost him his job and soon, the people he had been hired by would be out for his blood. It was only a matter of time and it was all because he had felt drawn—okay, attracted—to the helpless victim of the Keefe assassination. The over-emotional loner that he had followed for eight fucking weeks who had dared to fight back.

Lisa Reisert had escaped his control and screwed the job over and placed his life in eminent danger.

The door to his off-white sterile hospital room opened slowly and quietly, allowing him to hear each and every squeak. Jackson closed his intense blue eyes and calmed his breathing, despite the gaping hole in his throat, which had thankfully been closed at the same time the bullets had been removed. He listened to the quiet, halting footsteps of the intruder. It was a man, he guessed, sent here to kill him.

A nameless, faceless killing machine intent upon ending Jackson Rippner's life.

"Good, you've made this a hell of a lot easier," whispered the man, his scratchy voice close to Jackson's right ear.

There was a sharp ping as the hit man dropped something. "Shit," he cursed, bending over to retrieve the fallen object.

It had to be a needle. The hit man was going to inject some kind of drug into his IV and stop his heart. He had planned these super simple clean-up operations before—he had even carried out a few as a rookie. Now, they were trying to assassinate the assassination manager. Jackson was not going down without a fight, though the hit man did not know it.

A flicking sound filled his sensitive ear and he knew that this was it. Now was the time.

Clumsy fingers reached towards the IV inserted in his right arm. Faster than any bolt of lightening could have struck, Jackson Rippner grabbed his would-be assassin's wrists in a left-handed iron grip as his icy blue eyes opened and focused their wrath on the man.

"Not so fast, huh?" he hissed through gritted teeth, the hole cause by Lisa Reisert still impairing his usually smooth voice.

"Rippner," replied the other man coolly with a smirk.

Jackson ripped the needle from the hit man's grasp. "Trying to kill me?" he asked with a sadistic smile; a twisted expression upon his usually pretty face.

"Just a job, nothing personal."

"Then you won't mind," Jackson grinned as he flipped the needle around and plunged it in a vein in the assassin's arm. At least, he assumed he had hit a vein. He had not really been aiming.

"Damn you, Rippner," snapped the man as he slowly crumpled to the floor, the needle still in his right arm, where Jackson had stuck him.

Jackson smiled before ripping the IV from his arm. He was not going to stick around and wait to die. Where there was one assassin, there was plenty more on stand-by, ready to finish the job. That was how his profession worked.

Carefully, he unplugged himself from the various machines and monitoring equipment. Once free, he took his belongings from the closet and slipped them on. There was blood on the pale green dress shirt and the white undershirt from his various wounds, yet he not give a damn. He simply buttoned up the pinstripe suit jacket and wrapped the stylish burgundy scarf around his neck, concealing his bandage and the bloodstains.

Satisfied, Jackson Rippner exited the hospital a free man.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm trying a super realistic version of a sequel to the movie. I've got the entire story and plot sketched out, but I'm not sure how quick I'm going to get updates out. The chapters are going to switch between characters, so it's not entirely Jackson-centric, but much of it will be from his POV because Jackson is the easiest for me to write. He's gonna be one nasty bastard, but it's because of his job. It's all related to his job. Enjoy and please view a review!


	2. Chapter Two

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Two**

Lisa Reisert was rather sore when she awoke the following morning. She stretched and yawned, exhausted but she could no longer sleep. She had an absolutely disastrous time trying to fall asleep the previous night, despite her desperate need for sleep. Insomnia had kicked in and she had spent the majority of the night tossing, turning and wandering her small apartment.

She had at one point begun to cook her nightly scrambled eggs before thinking better of it and dumping the half-cooked eggs into the sink and burning herself on the hot frying pan. Lisa had cursed loudly and grabbed the first aid kit, searching for the burn cream. She found it and slapped some on, glaring at her hand and the blistered skin.

Her green-eyed gaze flicked up and into the mirror then, and she took in her appearance. There was a small cut on her forehead along with various other cuts and bruises that covered her body. Red marks ringed her throat, where he had tried to strangle her. Thankfully, her old scar was covered by her tank top. She could not take the old coupled with the new. Not tonight, not after the new incident. It was more than any one person should have to endure.

But she had endured it. She _had_ survived the impossible twice. She was a survivor.

Lisa sighed and crawled out of her bed. She glanced down at her right hand. Sure enough the burn was there, reminding her that yesterday had not been a bad dream. If only it had been…then she would not feel nearly as sick to her stomach.

Jackson Rippner—his name alone sent shivers down her spine. These shivers were not the good kind that she had received when she had originally met him in line. Instead of pleasant shivers, she had the heart-stopping, gut-wrenching, fear-inducing shivers that raised goose bumps across her wounded flesh. She wanted to run, run far away from the man who had single-handedly wrecked her life once more and shattered her fragile protections.

Allusions had surrounded her for two years. For two years she had dreamed that she was safe, that as long as she worked hard and had no time for 'fun' that it would never happen again. That no one would ever hurt her again. He had not touched her in the same way that the man in the parking lot who had left her with the scar had, but he had wounded her all the same.

After all, scars did not have to appear on the skin to hurt deeply.

Why was it always her? How had she managed to end up with such awful luck? First the rape, now the plane trip and near death experiences caused by one Jackson Rippner. The "charming" stranger that she had nearly killed. In the end, despite his control and egocentricity, Lisa had triumphed and bested him at his own game. She smiled to herself—with any luck he would die in the hospital from the wounds she had inflicted upon him with a handy pen, a high-heeled shoe, her old field hockey stick, and a silenced gun.

But knowing her luck, the bastard was still alive and he would want his revenge. And she would be waiting. Tomorrow, she would be going out to buy a gun and also register for a concealed weapons permit. She was not going to take any chances with the manager whose job she had wrecked, all to save an innocent man and his family from a fate too terrible to contemplate. The police had repeated time and time again that he was not going to get away, that the matter would thoroughly investigated, but she knew better than to listen to them. She had dealt with Jackson Rippner before and they had not. She knew him better than most people. Lisa knew that he was not going to let her go and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

Only one person had ever beaten him before and it was none other than her.

Lisa shuffled into her living room, after turning on the coffee pot in the kitchen. She needed her coffee for sure. It was going to be a long day.

She plopped down on the plush couch, her feet on armrest as she laid back, the TV remote in her right hand as she channel surfed, looking for something to watch. She was about to change the channel when a familiar name caught her ear, causing her to stop in interest.

"…Rippner died last night. He was found on the floor of his hospital room, a needle in his arm," said the TV reporter, reading from the teleprompter, her eyes unblinking.

No, it could not be. Jackson Rippner could not be dead. Had his boss tracked him down that fast or had he commented suicide?

_"No, I'm not suicidal,"_ his voice echoed in her head.

Something was wrong. As much as she wanted the nightmare to end, this did not seem right. He would not have allowed himself to go out this way. He would want to die a flashy, high-profile death like the ones that he had orchestrated through his despicable job. It was disgusting that she knew this, but it was the truth. Jackson would have been pleased that she was admitting the truth for once.

She had to stop speaking in the past tense. Jackson Rippner was not dead. He was invincible—well, she had taken him down—but a simple needle would not have killed him. It was too implausible.

The phone rang and Lisa rolled off her couch to the wooden floor and scrambled to reach it. "Hello?" she answered.

"Is this Lisa Reisert?" questioned a bored male voice on the other end.

"Yes."

"The police were wondering if you come down to the morgue and identify the body of one Jackson Ripp..er?"

"Rippner," she automatically corrected. "Yes, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, ma'am," the man said and the line clicked as he hung up.

Lisa replaced her phone. What was she thinking? What had she just signed herself up for? Identifying the man who had once tried to kill her? Had she really lost that much of her sanity aboard Fresh Air flight 1019?

Only time would tell.

**Author's Notes:**

Wow, I managed to update faster than I had originally thought. This story is really starting to flow. I just I could find more time in my day to write it. School is evil. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and enjoy the story! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!


	3. Chapter Three

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Three**

Jackson limped into the spotless, expensive elevator in the first-class office building he had slipped into, thanks to a key that allowed him through the front doors after hours. He rode the elevator up to the top floor and slowly made his way down the long tiled hallway. He winced occasionally when he jarred his leg too much. He was beginning to wish that he had been smart enough to steel some pain killers from the hospital. Whatever had been in his system was wearing off and he needed major drugs to combat the pain. Maybe leaving was not such a good idea…

Then again, had he hung around, he would have either a: been arrested, or b: died. There was no room for failure and failures were terminated, even if they had the long success record that he had kept over the course of several years. His record had been spotless until now.

He had been planning on retiring soon anyways. It was almost a blessing in disguise. Almost being the key word.

Having assassins on your tail was not exactly what he had in mind. He had been thinking more along the lines of a quiet, private beach somewhere with a certain green-eyed woman…whoa, where had that come from?

He shook his dark head. No, his retirement certainly had no room for the likes of Lisa Reisert. He had once had feelings for her, but no longer. She had screwed him over with fighting back and now he was on the run for his miserable life. Running had never been part of the plan. The plan that she had shot all to hell.

Jackson stopped in front of a thick, mahogany colored wooden door. He withdrew a key from his pocket and unlocked the door before slipping inside the pitch black room. He quickly shut the door and flipped on the lights before dead-bolting the door and using other various locks. No one was getting through that door if he could help it.

He sank his weary body onto the plush leather couch and tried to relax his erratic breathing as his heart pounded a hole in his chest. He had to think of a way out of this mess.

Once he was feeling better, the former assassination manager got to his feet and headed into the small bathroom, where he pulled out the first aid kit and tended to his wounds. The neck wound was fine, but the bullet holes and other minor wounds were bleeding slightly. He cleaned and rebandaged all of his wounds, just to be safe. He was not going to risk catching an infection. Hospitals and doctors would not be safe. It was a damn good thing that he was extremely independent and had dealt with far more serious injuries before.

Jackson grabbed some generic pain medication from the first aid kit and swallowed the pills dry in one gulp. Oh, how he needed the pain to go away! It was obscuring his mind; his logic. The pain alone could get him killed. One mistake was all it would take.

Now, there was no way that even Lisa—who knew him rather well—would be able to identify his remains. Even his dental records probably would not be of use. He was in for one hell of a violent death.

Should he have just let them kill him? Just fallen asleep and kept sleeping, never to wake again? No, no he still wanted to deal with Lisa. He _had_ to deal with her, but not until the mess that she had created was cleaned up. Then he would have his revenge and fun.

Jackson sighed and slipped his jacket off to use as a blanket. Then he stretched out on the leather couch after flicking off the dim lights and closed his icy eyes. He yawned and found himself falling into a much needed deep sleep.

**Author's Notes:**

This chapter's kind of on the short side. In case anyone's wondering, Jackson's in his office, well one of them. He needed a temporary hiding spot. Enjoy!


	4. Chapter Four

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Four**

Lisa shuffled into the city morgue, her heart clutched tightly in panic and she found it hard to breathe. In a few moments, she would know if her feelings were right and if Jackson Rippner was really dead or alive. It was the moment she was both dreading and looking forward to at the same time.

"Miss Reisert? Come this way please," said the same bored assistant who had called her on the phone.

Lisa followed him into the viewing room, where a single body lay on the stainless steel table, covered with a clean white sheet. She waited for the assistant to lift the sheet and she slowly stepped closer. Her heart sank and rose at the same time.

"No, I've never seen this man before in my life. Whoever he is, he isn't Jackson Rippner," she told him, shaking her head. This man looked nothing like her tormentor.

"Okay, thank you for coming," the morgue assistant said in a monotone and showed her out of the chilly morgue, and into the sunshine.

Lisa hopped into her car and leaned her head against the steering wheel, barely resisting the urge to start beating her head against it. This could not be happening. He could not still be alive. He could not come back. He was supposed to be dead or at the very least in a hospital. Now, she knew that he was wandering the streets and would soon be coming after her. It was only a matter of time.

Jackson would not leave her alone, not after what had happened. Not after what they had done to each other. She had ruined his job and he would want revenge. Not mention the fact that she had single-handed beaten the shit out of him and brought him down.

Where did she go now? Who could she turn to? She could not tell her dad—he was far too much of a worrywart without knowing that Jackson was on the loose and would be after her blood.

Her first step was to buy a gun, yet her dad kept one in his house. Surely he would not mind if she borrowed it for the time being…until she could complete the registry paperwork on her own. Lisa glanced at her watch and relaxed when she noticed that he was most likely already gone for the bulk of the day. He had told her that he had errands to run that day, which meant she would have enough time to sneak in the house and back out with the gun before he returned. The police had decided to let him keep living there, despite the unfinished investigation.

Lisa floored the gas pedal, speeding all the way to Blossom Palms Lane and pulling up in the driveway at 9321. She jumped out of the car before it had barely jerked to a stop and slipped in through the back door, because the front door had been temporarily sealed with plywood. She raced up the main stairs, taking them two steps at a time, and entered her dad's office. She tried not to remember that the previous day she had been flipped over the rail and thrown down the very same flight of stairs by Jackson.

She ransacked the office quickly in her mad search. Her father would hopefully not notice the mess and assume that it had occurred during her fight with Jackson. He had other things on his mind besides a messy office.

Sure enough, the .22 was in its hiding spot, along with a box of extra bullets. Lisa shoved the box and the gun into her purse and exited the same way that she had entered and sped away. She did not stop driving, speeding, and swerving until she reached a brand-new office building downtown.

She hopped out of the car, locked the doors and strode towards the building. She needed to see her lawyer—a friend of her father's who had been called in the other day to handle the case against Jackson and the possible charges that she faced. Maybe he would have some advice about what to do concerning Jackson Rippner.

Little did she know that many floors above her head, Jackson Rippner was sleeping fitfully upon a couch.

**Author's Notes:**

Just a short chapter. In the next chapter, Jackson and Lisa will meet. Enjoy!


	5. Chapter Five

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Five**

Jackson Rippner almost fell over in shock when the elevator doors slid open and Lisa Reisert stepped inside. Her head was down, her shoulders slumped and her curly hair hid her face from him. It had just been over a day since he had last seen her and he suddenly realized how much he had missed her stubbornness and feisty streak. Her back was turned to him as a pale finger reached out to press the already lit button for the first floor.

What was she doing in the same building that he kept an office in?

But that question did not annoy nearly as much as her ignoring him did.

"Hello, Leese," he rasped, ticked that she had yet to notice him.

A startled gasp flew from her lips and she spun around to face him, a gun in her grip. Jackson did not flinch, even as she steadied the gun at his head.

"You—what are you doing here?" Lisa's voice quivered slightly.

"Gonna shoot me, Lisa?" Jackson teased, taking a confidant step towards her.

"I-I-" Lisa never got a chance to answer because Jackson knocked the gun out of her hand and placed a knife to her throat, before he pulled the emergency stop button—halting their descent to the first floor and freedom.

"So, how have you been? Miss me yet?" Jackson sneered.

"Just kicking your ass," was Lisa's curt reply. She was determined not to let him get the best of her.

"Aw, and here I just wanted to have a nice little chat. I'm really hurt, Leese."

"Maybe if I had shot you in heart, then you would have had some actual feelings for me to hurt, besides your pride," snarled Lisa.

"Temper, temper, Leese. Haven't you learned anything from our little flight?"

"Apparently not."

"What a shame—now—" Jackson found himself cut off as the elevator resumed its decent.

"I though you stopped the elevator, _Jack_," hissed Lisa, annoyed and sick of playing these games with Jackson.

Amused, Jackson replied, "I did."

Lisa did not find the situation amusing. "Why does it feel like we're speeding up?"

Suddenly it clicked. They had been found. This was another assassination attempt. But on which one of them? Had his employers found out that he was staying there, or had Lisa been tracked?

"That's because we are, Leese," he told her, knocking a panel out of the top of the elevator car. "It's an assassination."

"What?" she was stupefied—entranced by the implausibility of his statement.

"Would I ever lie to you?"

"No," she admitted bitterly. He had never lied to her. He had no reason to.

"Do you want to get out of here alive?" he offered, the knife disappearing into his pocket.

"Yes."

"Do you trust me, Leese?" he question, her chin held in his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"Yes…"

"Good. Now I'm going to give you a boost."

Before Lisa could reply, Jackson was lifting her up towards the opening and she climbed through it. Jackson pulled himself up after her despite his weakened state.

"Grab the ladder" he ordered, pointed to a metal ladder alongside them.

Lisa reached out and grabbed a rung, burning her hand at the same time from the friction. She clung to the ladder and quickly ascended. She heard Jackson grunt below her and knew that he too had jumped and was now following her. Below them, the elevator reached the bottom. It stopped with a thud and angry voices filled the air. Suddenly, the elevator was zooming back up the shaft, ready to scrap Lisa and Jackson off the side.

"You're going to have to jump!" Jackson warned as he jumped onto the roof of the moving car. "I'll catch you."

Lisa took a deep breath and let go. Sure enough, he caught her, just before pulling her down through the hole and inside the car. They collapsed onto the floor, panting and gasping for air.

"That was too close, Jackson Rippner!" yelled Lisa as her breathing returned to normal.

"Hey, I didn't plan it," he rasped as the elevator continued to rise. "Now, we have to be ready for them."

"Who? Ready for who?"

Jackson rolled his blue eyes. "Assassins, hit man—does it really matter, Leese?"

He picked up her discarded gun and handed it over to her. "You can shoot me if you want, but you'll need my help to get out of here alive."

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded. She wanted answers before she went any deeper into this mess.

"My employers are after me—you too. I screwed up and you helped. We're loose ends that need tying up."

"How do you know all this?"

"They've already tried to assassinate me before this," he grimaced. "This is the second time around for me."

"What do we do?" she wanted to know. She had no idea why she was trusting him with her life. He had nearly killed her the previous day.

"We beat them to the punch. We hide on the sides, armed of course, and wait for them to enter. Then we take them out."

"We? I think not…" snorted Lisa.

"You got us into this mess. If you had only been a good little girl and made the phone call, then neither of us would be here in this mess right now."

"This doesn't change anything," Lisa insisted as she flattened herself against the panel to the left of the elevator doors.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he smirked.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop.

"This is it," Jackson said, his knife glittering in his hand.

The doors slid open and Lisa's heart stopped for a moment. This was it. Now she would find out if Jackson lied or was at the very least paranoid.

**Author's Notes:**

Now we finally get into the meat of the story! I skipped two minor scenes because they aren't important. Lisa went to her lawyer, but the lawyer doesn't know of anything that he can do to stop Jackson now that he's gone. Jackson woke up and decided that he needed to switch locations. That's how they managed to meet in the elevator. They were both getting ready to leave. Enjoy! New chapter coming soon!


	6. Chapter Six

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Six**

Into the elevator slipped two men with silenced handguns. The hit men passed Lisa and Jackson. Jackson jerked his head towards the one near Lisa, trying to indicate that she was to attack him on his signal.

'No', she mouthed and shook her head.

Jackson rolled his blue eyes. They did not have time for this! 'Your loss,' he mouthed back.

He struck out, jabbing the shinning blade in his hand into the nearest hit man's back. The other hit man spun around and took aim at Jackson, just barely missing his dark head as the manager ducked. Lisa was unnoticed still and knew that it was now or never. She closed her eyes after she aimed and squeezed off three shots, and all three found their mark. The other hit man slumped to the floor; dead as a doornail and Jackson was suddenly at her side.

"Let's go, Leese, before more of them show up," he hissed and when she did not respond, he forcibly dragged her from the elevator and into the hallway.

Lisa was limp with shock, and hanging onto Jackson. He grimaced with each step because his leg was starting to twinge again and Lisa was not helping matters. He was far from being in the best shape to handle this particular situation.

"Walk, Leese," he ordered as they reached the stairs. There was no way he could help her down the steep concrete blocks fast enough and without sending them both tumbling.

"I can't…" she mumbled, shaking her head.

Jackson was sick of her excuses. "You will walk down those steps, Lisa. Are you listening to me?"

"Yes…no," her green eyes were dazed and Jackson sighed loudly, a strange raspy sound coming from him.

"You leave me no choice then," he said coldly before backhanding her across the face. Lisa fell down a few steps, her cheek stinging and turning bright red. Jackson sauntered down the few steps to where she lay, like a broken rag doll. It was almost as if yesterday were repeating itself.

Her hand was on her cheek and she was glaring at him. "Bastard," she hissed through clenched teeth. Jackson grabbed her wrist and sharply yanked her up.

"Need me to do it again, or are you going to walk on your own? Perhaps you'd like it more if I threw you down the stairs?"

Lisa did not dignify him with a response. She stood up on shaky legs and started to descend the stairs at a rapid pace, leaving Jackson behind. He stumbled along after her, partially afraid that she would try to run and partially worried for her safety. She was still dazed, but one did not need their mind on to flee for their life.

"Down there!" a voice echoed from the top of the stairs, causing both Jackson and Lisa to freeze.

"Fuck!" Jackson cursed, his blue eyes narrowing in on the hit men above them. "Double-time, Leese!"

Lisa ran; skipping steps and slipping down others. Jackson followed her, every so often pushing her along, urging her faster. Shots rang out behind the former manager and his victim, and the bullets ricocheted on the metal rails and the concrete surroundings.

They reached the bottom and Lisa shoved the door open, Jackson's raspy breathing upon her neck. "Run!" he ordered, shoving her forward. "Run, Leese!"

Lisa sprinted into the sunshine, Jackson on her heels. Where was she to run? To her car? To his? Did he even have a car or a plan?

She was so distressed that she almost did not realize that she was in a parking lot. She had feared parking lots since the incident two years ago that left her with the scar. Since the rape, which had surprised even Jackson. He had not the slightest clue as to what had happened to her and it had led to his undoing.

"Beemer, Lisa!" Jackson's raspy voice ordered as he gave her a shove.

Lisa involuntarily shivered as she searched out the silver car that had been parked in front of her father's house the previous day, the car that Jackson's associate had been sitting in, awaiting his master's orders. She was not about to get into that car with Jackson. She would rather take her chances in the parking lot with the hit men.

She turned, trying to run away, far away. Anywhere but that parking lot with the silver BMW and Jackson Rippner…

His strong hand grabbed her arm and he yanked her down, pulling her to close the ground. She fought his grip, trying to break loose.

"Let go! Let go, Jack! Let me go!" she shrieked, clawing at his grasp and trying vainly to free herself.

"Stop struggling!" he hissed, covering her mouth with his left hand and wrapped his right hand around her throat.

Parking lot… parking lot… daylight… She needed to run, run away! She had to get away! Never again!

Jackson's face softened when he realized that Lisa was trembling beneath his hands and that her green eyes were flickering in fear. He had scared her… reminded her of the past. Something horrible…of course…the rape. He sneered and yanked her up, releasing her throat and mouth but keeping a firm grip on her arm.

"Still afraid of parking lots, Leese?"

Lisa wanted to wipe that know-it-all smirk off his face, yet she never got the chance. She was shoved inside the silver car and Jackson slammed the door behind her. She grabbed the handle yanking at it, but it was locked. Jackson had locked her in.

He quickly dove into the driver's seat as a bullet hit the door. Lisa jumped.

"It's bulletproof," he reassured her, as he started up the car.

"Why, Jackson? Why do you suddenly care?"

"Excuse me?" he questioned, sounding confused as he turned his blue eyes on his victim sitting in the front seat.

"Why didn't you let them kill me?"

"I'm not finished with you yet, Lisa. You're mine," Jackson smiled, placing a hand on her cheek, which was still bright red from his backhanded smack.

Lisa smacked his hand away. "I hate you. I'll never be yours."

"The line between love and hate is rather thin, Leese. You'd be surprised."

Lisa refused to look at him or reply. He sighed and put the car in reverse. "Seatbelt," he snapped.

Lisa ignored him. He grabbed a fistful of her curly hair and yanked, causing her to cry out in pain. He pulled her face towards his and stared her down. "Do as I say, Lisa. Now."

He roughly shoved her back towards her seat. Lisa hissed as her head cracked into the window. She glared at him but complied with his earlier request by buckling the seatbelt.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it, Lisa?"

Jackson backed the car quickly and spun it around. A hit man stood in front of the Beemer's path, his gun out and aimed at Jackson's head. Jackson shifted gears and the engine roared before he pressed the gas, driving straight towards the man. He hit him with a sickening crunch and Lisa yelped when the seatbelt cut into her bruised flesh. Jackson ignored her and kept driving, determined to get them out of there.

Jackson Rippner was a businessman, and he was down to business now. And this time his business was all about staying alive and Lisa Reisert was just an added bonus—and burden.

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson's kind of showing off his nasty side now. He wants to protect her, but he's still Jackson and he's still messed up in the head. Lisa's confused by her feelings and her actions are disorganized as are her thoughts. Enjoy! Chapters should be coming every day now that I'm finished with _Sometimes…_.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seven**

Jackson drove in silence for about twenty minutes, taking them far away from downtown and the office building that they had just been attacked in. He pulled the silver car into a driveway on a quiet, deserted street. He parked the car and alighted. He walked over to the passenger side, where Lisa sat turned to face the window. He opened the door.

"I should have let him kill you," hissed Lisa as Jackson yanked her from the car.

"But you know you'd miss me, Leese," he smiled, propelling her towards the house. A nice, modern house—not one that you expect a killer to live in. That's what Jackson was…a killer.

Lisa tripped and went down, dragging Jackson with her. She jumped to her feet poised to run when she felt Jackson's long fingers seize her ankle in a tightening death grip.

"Don't make me pull you down, Lisa," he hissed in warning.

Lisa gasped as he dug his fingernails into her ankle. He used her distraction to his advantage, quickly leaping to his feet despite his injuries, and snagging her around the waist. She struggled until he pressed a pressure point in her delicate neck, knocking her out. Her body was limp in his arms. Jackson slung her over his shoulder and continued into the house.

Why did she have to be such a fighter? Why couldn't she see that she was only making things harder on herself?

He dumped her carefully onto his soft bed and brushed her hair out of her face. He smiled at her frail body before leaving the room to activate the security systems and gather weapons in case of an attack. He was going to protect her despite her unwillingness to trust him and cooperate at times.

Jackson grabbed the first aid kit for them both and saw to Lisa, rather than himself, first. She woke part of the way through his cleaning.

"What are you doing to me?" she asked groggily.

"Don't worry Leese, I wasn't peeking up your skirt," smirked Jackson from his position near her feet as he saw to her scratched legs and sore feet.

"Pervert," she hissed when she noticed where he was sitting on the bed. She knew that he had a full view of everything that she preferred to keep private.

"Sit still, Lisa, I'm almost done," he ordered as she sat up.

"Fuck you, Jackson."

Lisa disobeyed him and pulled her legs free of his grip in an attempt to leave the bed. She was not going to hang around and let Jackson act this way. He had no business seeing her this way or caring for her. He had no right to keep her there either.

Jackson tackled her to the bed, pressing his weight into her to keep her still and immobile underneath him.

In horror, she writhed under him, trying vainly to escape him. "That was not an invitation!" she cried as he ran a hand down her leg.

Cold blue eyes flickered towards her terror-filled face. "I'm not going to do that to you. I promise."

"I don't trust you."

"I know."

"Will you let me go?"

"No, I can't do that, Leese. I always keep my promises," he smirked at her.

"What promise? You never said anything…"

"I stole you, Lisa, like I said I would. You're mine now. And I protect what's mine," he rested a hand on her cheek. She flinched when he touched her.

"I'm not yours," she snarled, furious. "I don't belong to anyone."

"I'm saving your life, don't you see? You'd be dead if I hadn't been there."

"Anything is better than being stuck here with you," she retorted. She would rather be dead than have to deal with Jackson again for an unknown period of time. She wanted nothing more than to serious maim him or kill him at this moment.

"Lisa, Lisa," he shook his head at her. "You're not thinking clearly, now are you? Now, what would daddy dearest think if—"

"Don't you dare talk about my father!" she snapped, resuming her futile struggle against her captor, whom she had once found charming and attractive. "You have no right!"

Jackson smiled. She had no clue what she was doing to him. He wanted to take her then and mark her as his. He was filled with, what was it, lust? Love? He was not entirely sure. But he was stronger than human emotion. Plus, he did not want to hurt Lisa. He wanted her to want it too. He would never force her that way; that was not his style.

"Jeesh, Jack. Don't tell me you're just happy to see me!" Lisa said, growing uncomfortable in her helpless position under him.

"If I let you go, you have to promise not to run. I don't want to have to tie you up, but I will," Jackson offered, slowly lifting himself up from her, releasing her slightly.

"To what? The headboard? Get over yourself, Jackson."

"Lisa, I'm serious," he said, his voice growing cold.

"So am I."

Jackson rolled his eyes and pulled her into a sitting position at the same time he released her. "Now, let me finish looking at your cuts."

"Jackson, let go of me! I'm fine!" she cried, smacking his hand away.

His hand found her throat. "Indulge me, Leese. Let me make that determination."

Lisa gasped and choked for a few seconds before Jackson released her. Her green eyes glared at him as he return to inspecting her like she was a favorite pet, not a human being fully capable of looking after herself. Lisa hated him looking at her and she hated his touch. She wanted to be far, far away from him.

But Jackson would have none of that. He kept a firm hold on her at all times, preventing any escape attempts. She could tell that he was silently daring her to try, telling her that he would enjoy the chase. She did not feel like incurring his wrath yet again. She would recover some of her lost strength before fighting back again.

"Good," he said, nodding in approval once he finished.

"Thank you, now I'll just be on my way."

"Um, I think not, Lisa. I need your help to clean my wounds and you're staying here with me. You leave and they'll find you and they'll torture you for information about me—probably even rape you for the hell of it—and when they've had enough, they'll kill you. You're staying here."

"Since when were you appointed my protector?"

"Since you screwed the job," he replied matter-of-factly.

Green and blue eyes stared each other down for a few moments, until Lisa backed down with a sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

As much as she hated to admit it, Jackson was right. She was dead if she left him. They would have to help each other to escape the mess they had created.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm sure that Jackson enjoyed being on top of her. Sick-minded bastard… Anyways, next chapter will probably be up tomorrow.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eight**

Jackson smirked at Lisa for a moment before replying to her question. He had her caught between a rock and a hard place. She could either risk death by leaving or risk death by staying with him. He loved his control over the willful woman.

"Well, how about you help me clean and dress my wounds since I helped with yours?" he suggested in a tone that implied that it was an order.

"I didn't ask for your help," spat Lisa.

"Damaged goods are no good to me, Lisa. If you get badly hurt, I will abandon you unless you have given me a reason to do otherwise. Understand?"

"What about protecting me?"

"I thought you didn't want my protection," his voice was smug. He had been manipulating her—gullible, gullible Lisa.

"I don't, but our best chance is to stick together. I won't abandon you and you don't abandon me. It's a two-way street, Jack. I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

A twisted smile crossed his face and Lisa was suddenly very worried. What had she said?

"So if I kiss you, then you have to kiss me, right?" he wanted to know, his voice teasing her. He already knew the answer but he was having so much fun messing with her.

"N—" she started to say but he had already kissed her and muffled her words.

His kiss was rough and demanding. There was nothing sweet about it. Lisa struggled against him, helpless to stop him. Finally, he released her and she smacked him hard across the face.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again!" she hissed, with venom laced into her words. "Or I swear I'll make sure you _never_ have children!"

"Lisa, your threats are harmless. You can't do anything to me, despite what you think. You got lucky before. It's not going to happen a second time around."

Her right hand reached up to his throat and gripped the white bandage there. She ripped it from his throat and he flinched. That had hurt!

"Just luck, huh? I don't think luck alone left that mark on your throat, Jack. That took skill," she smirked at him, her fingertips tracing the red circular scar that was beginning to heal. Just one of the many scars that she had left.

"How would you like me to leave you with another scar, Lisa? How about a nice long knife wound on the other side, hmm?"

"You wouldn't," Lisa said, shaking her head as her newfound confidence shattered. Jackson would not do that to her—would he? Was he really that cruel? He had already proven that he would take what he wanted by kissing her. What was there to stop him from raping her?

"How many times do I have to tell you that rape is beneath me?" sighed Jackson, shaking his dark head slightly.

She was not sure she believed him. If he really wanted to rape her, then he would. What he said and what he did were two very different things. He could say that he would not and still do it. She had no proof that he was not lying. Lisa doubted that he was lying, due the way he was looking at her now. His gaze seemed honest, but it was Jackson. He had already proven himself to be a deceptively charming and sneaky bastard.

Lisa wanted to believe him—she wanted to trust him. Her life was riding on how much she could truly trust this Jackson Rippner…if that was even his real name.

"Apparently, you needed to tell me again," she snapped.

"Leese, grab that first aid kit and help me out before I change my mind about my status," Jackson threatened. He knew that he would never do that, but she did not know it.

A horrified gasp involuntarily escaped her lips, but she acquiesced to his order and grabbed the first aid kit. Lisa made sure that the cotton swab she dabbed in cleaning solution had been dipped in the cleaner that stung. Just because she could. It was her way of fighting back.

Jackson hissed as she swabbed at the stitched wound on his throat. He wanted to hurt her, but he knew that he had to take the pain and let her clean it. He would get her back for it later.

"I think you'll live," she said regretfully. If only she had killed him, then he would not have come back into her life to ruin it again.

"I think you're a mean-spirited bitch," Jackson sneered and grabbed her wrist before she could smack him again. His cheek still stung from the previous slap. "By the way Lisa, abuse goes both ways. Remember that two-way street? Well, you're about to step out into traffic."

She hated him. She hated him!

"Do managers have to go to a special school to learn how to become bastards or were you just born this way?"

"You're walking on a very fine line. Watch your step."

"Does it look like I give a shit, Jackson? Does it?" her green eyes glared at him. She knew that he held all the power at the moment, but she was going to give him hell and a run for his money.

"Nope, but you should."

"I never asked to get stuck with you. You picked me, remember? You fucked with my life first!"

"It was only a job," he said quietly. "No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Except for the family you wanted to assassinate!"

"There was nothing I could do about them. It was me or them. I didn't have a choice Lisa. I had to do the job."

"There's always a choice!" laughed Lisa hauntingly.

"Do you think that if for even a minute, I could have changed things that I wouldn't have? How blind are you, Lisa?"

"Stop speaking in riddles, Jack. I'm sick of these games."

Jackson rolled his blue eyes, causing Lisa to uncharacteristically snort. "When it came down to it, I didn't want to hurt you," he said calmly.

"What? That's the biggest load of bullshit that I've ever heard! If you didn't want to hurt me, then why did you try to kill me? Explain that one!"

"It all comes down to logic and emotion. I lost my logic, and fury took over."

"So you broke your rules? What's that got to do with anything?"

Jackson grabbed her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "You have everything to do with it. You started the emotions. You almost killed yourself. Don't you understand, Lisa? Don't you see it?"

"See what?" Lisa was confused. What was wrong with Jackson?

"I…" Jackson took a deep breath. "I had feelings for you."

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson and Lisa abuse! Lisa and Jackson keep changing their personalities every few seconds. They can't seem to figure out what they think of each other or how to act around each other. Enjoy! Next chapter will probably be up tomorrow with Jackson's 'confession' about his emotions.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nine**

"No, no you couldn't have," Lisa said, shaking her head in disbelief. Jackson did not have feelings about anything or anyone. He was emotionless and logic-based, right? He was not human enough to feel emotions or have feelings for anyone. Right?

"Would I lie to you? What could I possibly have to gain from lying to you?" he suggested, his voice smooth and she seriously wondered if he was toying with her again.

"Nothing. There's nothing to gain unless you want sympathy or you think that I'm going to crawl into bed with you because you had 'feelings'. And neither is happening."

"Smart, Leese. You always were the bright one," he smiled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Why did he insist upon playing these games with her? What was wrong with just being open for once?

Like she was open herself. What a hypocrite she was being.

"You were the smartest of all my victims. You were the only one to fight back that way—to try and outsmart me. You did it, Lisa. You beat me." Jackson applauded after his little speech and Lisa's green eyes showed her confusion. What was he talking about?

"I never tried to outsmart you. I was fighting for my life and my father and the Keefes. But what about you, Jack? What made you do it? Why did you lose? Were you not strong enough? Quick enough? Or did you just not care—" Lisa taunted him and he quickly put an end to it by covering her mouth with his hand.

"Let's get something straight, shall we?" he said, an evil, sadistic glint in his crystal blue eyes. "It was my job. I had no attachment to it other than wanting to save my own pathetic skin, got it? But then you, you changed everything."

Jackson's hand slipped off her mouth and he shoved both his hands in his long hair and closed his eyes for a moment. He sighed deeply before continuing, "It wasn't supposed to end this way. You were to make the phone call and then we would go our separate ways after the flight. I wasn't supposed to feel anything for you."

Lisa's heart leapt into her throat as it raced; the beating forever quickening. She was stunned. What had she done to Jackson? What had he done to her?

"I'll admit that I liked you at first, until you went psycho and threatened my father. I still liked you afterwards until we neared the end. The bathroom—I snapped then. That was the line, Jackson, and you crossed it. You did this to yourself," Lisa said quietly, trying to keep her boiling emotions out of it.

"Nice try, Lisa. You and I both know that this isn't what I wanted."

"Then what did you want? Me to roll over and do tricks? Lick your shoes? Be your dog? What the hell did you want from me, Jackson! What do you want from me!" Lisa screamed as she punched at the wounded manager in her fury, her fists weakly striking him. "What do you want?"

"Ssh, ssh, Lisa," Jackson whispered in her ear as he firmly grabbed her in a hug and her hands became wrapped in the material of his pinstriped suit jacket. Her body shook with sobs and anger. He gently rocked her and tried to calm her down. He knew that she was having problems with accepting the situation that they were both currently in. He was too.

It was extremely awkward to be comforting his former captive and it was relaxing at the same time. It felt, right and normal to have her in his arms.

He had never wanted to have feelings for her or for anyone. Great managers could not afford to have feelings for anyone. In his line of work, feelings equaled failure which in turn equaled death. He had learned to turn off his emotions years ago and had never run into any problems until Lisa Reisert came around. Now, he was conflicted and confused for the first time in years.

Part of him wanted to grab onto her and never let her go despite what she might be feeling or thinking and another part of him told him to kill her because she had wrecked his life, lost him his job and put them both on the run for their lives. He wanted to hate her, but he could not find it in him to do so.

He had been attracted to her since he started watching her but it was meeting her in real life that did Jackson Rippner in. Speaking with her up close had been the final straw. Having her smile at him—at him!—and laugh with him had released the floodgate of emotions that he had kept at bay for years.

His cold exterior and ability to forgo emotions had been the key to receiving his position in the first place. Logic had reigned supreme ever since his parents' deaths. There had been no room for emotions.

_"That's what I told them—before I killed them," he told her in the airport as they sat at the Tex-Mex bar._

What if he had not gone insane and killed them in a fit of rage that day? Would things have been different? Would he still have become a manager? Would he have meet Lisa under different circumstances?

Jackson would never know and it was useless to ponder the countless 'what-if' scenarios. All that mattered was he should have never had feelings and now, now they had messed up their lives. His dumb mistake could potentially cost them both their lives. Not that Lisa had not played a major roll in landing them both in deep shit, but he was the one that crossed the line.

The lines had been blurred in the shades of grey that he viewed the world in. It had all been black and white when he was a kid, before…

"Jackson," Lisa called, breaking him out of train of thought. She had stopped crying, even though her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks tear-stained. She was still beautiful. But he could not tell her that.

"Hmm?"

"Why? Why was it me?"

"It's rather simple, Leese," he smirked, falling back into his comfortable, manipulative skin. "You fought back. You're my match."

"Well it doesn't matter because as soon as we're out of danger, we're going our separate ways," she insisted. Lisa Reisert could not afford to admit that she might still have feelings for him.

"Sure. I promise."

"Good."

**Author's Notes:**

The confusion deepens between them. Lisa's probably embarrassed about breaking down in front of him, but she's been under a lot of stress. I hope everyone likes this chapter and I'll try to have the next chapter up tomorrow.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Ten**

Lisa helped Jackson clean the bullet wounds upon his chest and she had tried not to stare at him too long. She had drawn the line there—she was not going to clean the wound on his thigh. He could surely handle that one on his own.

"Come," Jackson ordered once she had finished, standing up and limping away from his bedroom. Lisa followed obediently, unwilling to fight anymore. She was exhausted.

He led the way to the room beside his, which was another bedroom and decorated in a far more feminine style than his bedroom. Light, bright colors filled the room, lifting her spirits. She whirled around to face him, a questioning look showing clearly.

"This is your room," he said softly.

"How—when?"

"I told you I was going to steal you. I planned in advance. The clothes in the closet should fit and your favorite stuff is in the bathroom," he said, pointing out the closet and the door to the adjoining bathroom.

She shivered. He had been planning to keep her all along. He had never been planning to let her go after the flight. She was supposed to have been his prisoner. The bastard.

"It's nice," she muttered, trying her best to be polite. She did not want to deal with another one of his violent mood swings.

"I trust that you won't leave the house. As long as you stay inside, you're safe," he said and limped out of the room, leaving her alone.

He trusted her! He trusted her enough to leave her alone in her own room, with the door unlocked! She was free to roam about the entire house and explore! Could Jackson possibly know what this freedom meant to her? Had he considered her feelings before deciding?

No, this was Jackson. He would not have been thinking about that.

Lisa sighed and flopped down onto the neatly made bed. To think that Jackson had gone to all this trouble just for her… She wanted to laugh just at the idea of the assassination manager worrying over what she would want. And he had probably painted it as well. Jackson covered in paint…that was a mental image.

She really liked the room though. Jackson had excellent taste and it seemed oddly enough that he knew exactly wanted she wanted. It was creepy yet reassuring. After all, how many killers go to all this trouble to make their victim comfortable, only to kill them?

No, no! Stop it!

Jackson was dangerous and she could not let her guard down. He had tried to kill her the day before! He would kill her, if he were given half the chance.

The confusion did not fade as she locked the bedroom door and slipped into the luxurious bathroom. She turned on the hot water in the shower and proceeded to make herself at him and admired all the trouble that Jackson had gone to. Sure enough, every little item that she could have wanted or needed had been thoughtfully provided by Jackson. The closet was same—all of the clothes were her size and the styles that she would wear, plus some casual clothes that she was sure that she would have never thought to find to time to wear as the busy hotel manager. She no longer had a job, so there was no excuse to not dress casually. Plus, then she would not have to worry about Jackson sneaking peeks up her skirt.

After a long shower, Lisa slipped into a pair of light colored jeans and a deep red tee with a rounded neck. She was not about to let her hated scar show around Jackson. The last thing she needed was him bringing it up.

Feeling much more relax and comfortable, Lisa lay down on the soft bed, and snuggled in between the fluffy pillows and the full bedspread, she fell asleep.

* * *

The sound of a woman screaming jarred Jackson from his recuperative sleep. His first thought was that someone had found them and was torturing Lisa. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the soreness in his left leg and snagged a knife from his bedside table. He ran into the room next door after deftly picking the lock.

Lisa lay on the bed clutched in the throes of a terrible nightmare. She thrashed about, tangling herself in the spread and screaming nonsensical words and phrases. Jackson allowed the knife in his hand to clatter to the floor as he climbed onto the bed beside the distraught and dreaming Lisa.

"No! No!" she cried, struggling harder as Jackson grabbed her in an attempt to hold her still and calm her down. She clawed at him and smacked him, fighting to free herself.

"Lisa! Calm down!" he yelled back at her.

Her fingernails scrapped across his face and he yelped in pain. Jackson backhanded her and then pinned her to the bed, his left hand holding her wrists together and his right hand resting upon her throat.

"Jackson?" she mumbled, the slap having ended the nightmare. He released her and backed away.

"Go back to sleep, Leese," he whispered, stroking her hair and straightening the covers slightly.

Lisa started to say something, but he pressed another pressure point, sending her back to sleep. Sleep was the best thing for her at the moment.

"Night, Leese," he whispered, kissing her forehead before picking up his knife and relocking the door before leaving.

It was best if she never knew that he had visited her. It was for the best...

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quickie! Well, quick compared to the recent chapters. Time's passing faster now and the pace should pick up again soon. Enjoy!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eleven**

Jackson slept through the night without any further interruptions except for his worried mind. He could not stop thinking about what tomorrow might bring for him and Lisa and how in the hell he was going to deal with his employers. They would not want him back—the first attempt on his life had shown him that much.

Time was of the essence and when he awoke, he showered and changed his bandages carefully and quietly, not wanting to disturb Lisa. He packed a small black duffle bag with some clothes and stuck his knife through a belt loop on his jeans. Even though he was only in his house, he did not want to risk walking around unarmed. It was only a matter of time before they were found again and he had to be ready to defend them and to escape.

After breakfast, he would sit down with Lisa and tell her about his employers and then he would plan their next move. Lisa had a right to know what they had gotten themselves into.

Jackson moved about the kitchen, preparing breakfast for himself and Lisa. He knew that she would not be able to sleep much longer and the smell of food wafting upstairs would be enough to rouse her from even the deepest slumber. He went to work scrambling up eggs, which he knew was her favorite, and frying bacon and sausage. He also popped some toast into the stainless steel toaster as he finished cooking.

He arranged the plates with the food and was placing the slices of toast on the plats when Lisa came stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing her green eyes and yawning. Her curly hair was a mess and Jackson briefly wondered if she had by any chance stuck her finger in a light socket recently. He snickered at the thought and caught her attention.

"What?" Lisa asked.

"Nothing. Good morning sleepy-head," he smiled, trying his best not to smirk when she froze at the sight of scrambled eggs on her plate.

"Oh, how thoughtful," she remarked sarcastically as she stabbed a fork into the scrambled eggs after she sat down on one of the barstools at the island. "Thinking of me again?"

"Always."

He could have sworn that Lisa had rolled her eyes before shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth. He snorted and shook his head slightly before digging into his breakfast as well.

They ate in complete silence—the only sounds in the average kitchen coming from the scrapping of forks along plates and them chewing. Not a word was said until a shrill alarm cut through the crisp air.

"Jackson? What the hell's happening?" questioned Lisa, startled by the alarm.

"Get down!" he hissed, before grabbing her arm and yanking her down from her stool. "We have to hide."

"Why?"

"Someone's broken in—most likely to kill us. Now stay here."

Jackson crawled away slowly due to his injured leg, into the main part of the kitchen where he grabbed a large carving knife. He gripped the knife tightly and crawled back to Lisa with it. He pressed the blade into her hands before drawing his own. She hesitantly took the weapon.

"Follow me," he hissed and pulled her arm. Lisa wordlessly trailed after him through the house, her heart racing.

Jackson went to turn a corner, but quickly jumped back at the same time a shot rang out and embedded itself into the wall. Lisa gasped and Jackson roughly clamped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet, Leese," Jackson ordered.

Footsteps sounded and a man drew closer. Jackson's blue eyes peeked around the corner. When the assassin's back was turned towards him, Jack viciously slit his throat, spraying blood across the room.

"One down," he sang softly and dragged Lisa past the body and up the stairs. She stumbled as she tried to keep up with him. For an injured man, not but one day free of a hospital, he sure was able to get around and set a grueling pace.

He froze in the hallway upstairs and stabbed another killer in the back. Then he turned to her and said, "Lisa, I need you to go and pack a bag. Okay? Pack it and meet me at the car. Hurry."

Lisa nodded and scrambled off to her room, while Jackson entered his, grabbing his bag and heading to his weapons safe. He gathered a few knives, a .45 and plenty of spare bullets, along with some other equipment that they might need. Everything went into the bag.

"Get off me!" he heard her scream and Jackson strode towards her room, his knife at the ready in his right hand.

Lisa was struggling with a burly man who had pinned her to the bed. She kicked out and clawed at him, causing Jackson to wince in memory of the scratches that she had left on him from the previous night. Her nails were sharp, but he was impressed at her ability to fight back.

Her top slipped and Jackson caught sight of her scar. That, combined with the look of utter fear in her wide eyes drove him insane. What was he doing standing around? This was _his_ Lisa. No one was to touch her.

In a surprising show of strength, Jackson yanked the man off Lisa and stabbed him in the thigh first, before ramming the knife into his stomach.

"Rippner!" roared the assassin.

"No one touches her, got that? Do you understand?" snarled Jackson, pissed and beyond logic.

"You're not man enough for her, Rippner. She deserves a real man, not a wimpy managerial failure such as yourself."

"Don't use big words that you don't understand, Miguel," warned Jackson, his knife poised for another strike. The burly man was not even bothering to fight the toothpick thin, injured manager before him.

"I understand my words, perfectly."

"Good, because you'll understand the consequences."

With a sadistic grin, Jackson cut a hole in the man's throat, similar to one he carried and listened to Miguel's gasping final breaths. "Next time, it'll be much worse," he whispered to himself, promising that he would act faster and with more anger the next time someone touched her.

An explosion ripped through the room, throwing Jackson backward into a wall. Through a thick cloud of acrid smoke, he could see Lisa's still body on the floor. Every instinct in him was telling him to run and get out while he still could. But he could not leave her. Not when he was unsure as to the nature of his feelings towards her.

Despite his earlier statement, he was not going to leave her behind. As the smoke cleared, he crawled to her and pulled her across the floor, snatching her bag and his before picking her limp body up and carrying her away.

He was not going to leave her to the mercy of the other assassins. She was much too important to him, despite his protests otherwise.

**Author's Notes:**

Hopefully this chapter wasn't too far-fetched with the explosion. It was a tiny bomb—more like a smoke bomb than a bomb bomb. Next chapter coming soon! Enjoy!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twelve**

Jackson carefully laid Lisa in the passenger seat of his silver car and tossed their bags into the backseat. After he made it into his seat, he quickly checked her over. Nothing short of a decent-sized bomb could harm either one of them in his car. He knew that he should have already hit the gas, but he had to check her first. He was worried about her condition.

Her breathing and pulse were normal and there appeared to be no life-threatening injuries as far as he could tell. He smoothed back her hair and swore to himself that nothing would ever happen to her again. This ended now.

Satisfied that she would live, Jackson reversed at an alarming speed and spun the car onto the street. Two suited hit men pursued him on foot, but he quickly gained speed and left them behind.

Now, where to go? Where to go? Where could they be safe?

Not Joe's house, not Lisa's apartment, not the Lux Atlantic… Where could they be safe in Miami? They had to stay in Miami for Jackson to be able to finish off his employer. But where?

"Jackson?" muttered Lisa, beginning to stir in the passenger seat. "Jackson?"

"I'm here, Lisa," he said softly and reached out to touch her hand.

"What happened back there? I remember eating breakfast then…"

"All hell broke loose? Yeah. That was just a few hit men. Are you okay though? Did they hurt you?" Jackson's tone changed from teasing to concerned in a few beats.

"I don't think so. I feel okay."

Jackson nodded. He knew better than to ask if she were sure. He would trust her word. Hopefully she was done with lying to him.

"Where are we going?"

"Um, I don't really know," he admitted sheepishly.

"How about a hotel? Is it safe to hide in a hotel?"

"Just not the Lux Atlantic, the Hilton, the Marriott, or any swanky place that comes to mind," smirked Jackson, bringing up the same names as he had in the airport check-in line.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Just an average hotel—nothing rundown."

"In other words, not something that charges by the hour, huh, Leese?" Jackson's smirk grew wider and Lisa turned around to cuff him upside the head.

"Not funny."

"I didn't say it was."

"You're perverted, Jackson Rippner."

"What can I say? I'm a guy," he joked and Lisa glared at him.

"Maybe I should have hooked you up with that blonde woman on the plane. What was her name again? Shelby…? Shauna…? Sherri…?"

"Sheila," Jackson answered glumly. He could not believe that Lisa was reminding him of that horrible woman. She looked so…fake for the lack of a better word.

"Sheila, that's right. I'm surprised she didn't drag you off to the bathroom and way she kept looking at you…" teased Lisa, a bright smile upon her face. If it felt odd to be joking around with him, she showed no signs of it.

"Like you did? Shame on you, Lisa. You have a dirty mind…"

"I did not drag you!" she protested. "You followed me!"

"I didn't see you stopping me."

"It was kind of hard to with you pressing into me and strangling me," commented Lisa, her tone snarky.

Jackson smiled and turned into a parking lot. There was a hotel in the distance, a descent-looking one. He killed the engine, stepped out and hurried around to help her out.

"Always the gentlemen, huh?" Lisa questioned.

"Just one of my many sides," he smiled back and wrapped an arm around her slim waist.

"What, what are you doing?" Lisa jumped when she felt his arm.

"Just go along with my story. Okay? Just pretend that we're a young couple trying to get away for a few days. Gotta it?"

"Sure," mumbled Lisa. "But you'd better explain to me what's going on afterwards."

"I promise."

Jackson and Lisa walked into the hotel's front lobby and strode up to the desk, smiling. Jackson held her in a protective, possessive grip that appeared loving. Lisa had slung her arm around his waist as well.

"Hello, how may I help you?" asked the man at the front desk politely.

"Hi, we'd like a room. We're in town for a few days and we thought we'd stop here and a get a room early in the day before sightseeing," Jackson said warmly.

"Understandable. What is your name?"

"Edwards, Jonathan Edwards."

Jackson took care of the registration and then they went to their room. Jackson left Lisa in the room and told her to lock the door and let no one but him in, while he went back for the bags.

Jackson returned ten minutes later with the bags and plopped down beside Lisa on the large bed.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Lisa questioned.

"Yeah, I promise I would."

"So?"

"Well, my employers are pissed that the job went wrong. They'll stop at nothing to kill us both. We're loose ends, Leese. These people are ruthless."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"We set a trap, and make them come to us, where we'll take them out. It's rough but the only way to stop them is to kill them. And we've only got a few days before they find us."

"How did you get into this line of work?"

"It was mistake—I was young and stupid. I had nowhere else to turn to and I fell into it."

"And you couldn't get out?" Lisa urged, trying to discover what she could.

"The Keefe job was supposed to be my last. I was retiring early. But, now I can't. They won't stop until we're dead."

"So, what's your plan?"

"Well, you're bait…"

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry about the rushed pacing of the chapter. I'm in the middle of a few crises, but I will finish this story out. Only another three chapters to go, then there's a sequel, but I'm not going to do the sequel right away.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Thirteen**

"What!" cried Lisa in shock. "Bait?"

"They'll be looking out for one us to show up. They're hoping to use one of us to catch the other. That's means that they won't dare kill you until they find me. You'll be safe," Jackson said calmly. He knew she would not like hearing this at all. He could not blame her. He was not particularly enthused by the idea himself.

"How the hell is being captured by the same freaks who are trying to kill us 'safe'? Explain that to me, Jackson."

"I'll be following and tracking you. I won't let them hurt you."

Lisa took a deep breath. She knew how much was riding on this simple plan. "Can I trust you to keep your word?"

"Lisa," Jackson's voice was caring and soft, not teasing or cold as it normally was. "I love you and I won't let them hurt you. I promise."

Lisa paused for a moment, taken aback by his whispered confession. "Did you just…?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "I just said I love you."

"No, no! You can't love me! You're a killer!" Lisa sobbed, her whole body shaking slightly. Jackson was pained. He had not meant to hurt; he only wanted to reassure her.

"I'm not a killer, Lisa. I haven't been one since I met you," Jackson spoke in a calm whisper, stroking away her tears as her eyes filled with tears that streaked her cheeks. "You were my second chance to do things right."

"I can't…you…no, no!"

"You don't have to love me back, Leese; I just need you to trust me. You need to know what I feel and know that I won't let any harm come to you because of it."

His confession was oddly comforting. Lisa's head told her that she could never love him back or have feelings for him because of who he was and what he had done. Yet her heart told her that it was too late, that she already had feelings for him, even if she knew it was wrong. They were too different to be together. It was only a dream, nothing more. Nothing could ever come of their feelings.

Lisa nodded in agreement, unable to think of words. Despite her head's protesting, she leaned against Jackson for support on the bed they were sitting on. He wrapped his arms around her and they slowly laid back on the bed, Jackson stroking her hair. She snuggled in close to him, taking comfort in the warmth of his body, the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her, and she felt truly safe for the first time in years. He would protect her at all costs, not hurt her. Never again…

"Sleep, Leese," he soothed as her eyelids dropped and she feel into a much needed sleep, exhaustion having finally sunk in.

* * *

Lisa was asleep in a scant few moments. Jackson sighed as he watched her doze in his arms. He really did not want to use her as bait, but he knew that he had no other choice. It was the only way to save Lisa and himself from certain death. If there was another, less risky way, he would do it in a heartbeat to keep her with him.

He never wanted to let go of her, yet he knew that the following morning, he would have to. He would have to send her in straight into an unknown danger where anything could happen. He would do his best, but even he had limits. The communication gear that he packed should help him stay in contact with Lisa, but there was no guarantees, other than he would fight to his death to save her. If only one of them was going to survive the mess that they had created, then he would do his best to make sure that Lisa survived.

The past few minutes had changed his outlook on life. What did he have besides his job? He certainly did not have Lisa. He knew that he would not be able to keep her locked up with him, as much as he wanted to. She deserved a life with someone better than him. He would love her from afar if he survived. He had nothing to live for without her, even though he loathed to admit it. Without his job, he had nothing. He had no life to return to. He was as lost as a young soldier returning from war; his whole life to live but unable to do so.

When the sun rose, Jackson Rippner would let Lisa go because he loved her. She was walk into the lion's den and he would follow. He would go willingly to his grave because there would be no escape for him; no life left to live.

Perhaps he had known his end all along, but had refused to truly see it. Now, he could.

**Author's Notes:**

Kind of an odd chapter. It's a combination of me having an emotional breakdown and studying for my lit test. Hopefully it works out okay. Only two chapters to go! Enjoy!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Get up, Lisa," Jackson's harsh voice woke Lisa the following morning. "It's almost time to go."

"Go? Go where?" questioned Lisa, her sleepy mind forgetful.

"To my employer's place of business. You're bait, remember?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," scowled Lisa. "Can I at least shower and change clothes though?"

Jackson roughly shoved her bag into her hands, yanked her up from the rumbled bed, and propelled her to the bathroom. "You've got…" he looked down at his watch before continuing," Fifteen minutes before I drag you out, finished or not."

Lisa slammed the door in his face and viciously locked it in reply. She hated him. He was so insensitive at times. If he was not so cocky and such a know-it-all about the strange happenings, she would have either killed him already or run away. But he was the only reason she was still alive right now.

Acquiescing to his request, Lisa showered and changed into new clothes in her allotted fifteen minutes. Before he could break down the door, she emerged from the bathroom with a smirk, feeling refreshed.

"How's that for a quickie?" she asked, her tone sarcastic.

"It wasn't bad. Now get in the car," Jackson ordered, not batting an eyelash as he jerked his head slightly in the direction of the door.

"Not until you tell me what the plan is," demanded Lisa, refusing to move an inch.

"Get in the fucking car!" he hissed, grabbing her arm in a vise-like grip and dragging her out to the silver car.

"No! Jackson, let go!" she cried, trying in vain to jerk her arm free. "You're hurting me!"

"Sit down and shut up," he ordered after opening the car door. He shoved Lisa into the car and shut the door behind her.

"Let me go! Jackson, you bastard!" she screamed, pounding on the door, trapped inside.

Jackson slipped into the car casually and Lisa pounced on him, searching for his keys. He snatched her wrists and sneered, "Leese, if you really wanted to…"

Lisa bit his right wrist, causing him to yelp from the sudden pain. He released her and she climbed over him to escape the car, his keys in her hand. The door slammed behind her, leaving him inside the car.

"Lisa! Get your ass back here!" he yelled after her.

She was already halfway across the parking lot, sprinting. She slammed into a hit man that grabbed her and shoved her into a white work van. Jackson heard her scream and sunk lower into the seat of the car. If they saw him, then Lisa would be killed in a heartbeat. Luckily, he had slipped a tracker on her when he had grabbed her.

Jackson pulled the spare set of car keys from the glove compartment and smiled, despite the acute pain in his wrist. Predictable Lisa… It had been entirely too easy to trick her. And fun. Now, now he would finish the game and go get his Lisa back. She would hate him now, but did not care. All that mattered was saving her and anything else was collateral damage.

Plus, he could not afford to be weak in front of her. Weakness was not allowed. He had almost blown it by confessing his love for her. But love made you do strange things, which was why he had sent Lisa blindly into danger.

Jackson tracked Lisa's transmitter to an office building; one that he had never been to before. Careful observation told him that it was a real office building, not just a front. He slipped on a suit jacket over his tee shirt and combed his dark hair with his fingers, changing its usual style slightly. Into his eyes went colored contacts to mask the icy blue by turning them deep brown.

He slipped a loaded gun into one of his jacket pockets for Lisa to use and a knife in another for him. He exited the BMW and slipped an earpiece in his ear that allowed him to hear the audio on the transmitter that doubled as a listening device. He slid the handheld transmitter into yet another pocket and his duffle bag swung along in his hand.

Jackson strode confidently into the building, with a pleasant smile plastered upon his face. He kept walking through the lobby and straight to the elevator. There was no need to speak to the secretary; that was why he was tracking Lisa.

"Where is Jackson Rippner?" a cold, sinister voice came through the earpiece.

Lisa's quivering voice came next, saying, "I don't know. I don't know!"

It pained him to hear her upset, but he had to keep his focus; keep his logic. What was about to happen would decided both their fates. It was only a matter of time before either one of them, or both of them, or neither of them left this building alive.

"Tell me where he is."

"If I knew, I'd already have killed the bastard. He tried to kill me!"

"Good job, Lisa, confuse them more and more as well as yourself," Jackson whispered to himself, shaking his head side-to-side.

According to his tracker, he was on the same floor as Lisa. He exited the elevator and purposefully continued down the hallway, prepared to take out anyone in his way. A desk and a secretary blocked him from making it to the first set of doors separating him from Lisa. His heart began to be faster at the thought of her and his closeness.

"Excuse me," the secretary said politely, yet firmly.

"Oh, I'm looking for a young woman, about my age," Jackson began, describing Lisa. "She's got short curly auburn hair and striking green eyes and was probably using profane language. Have you seen her?"

"Does she have a name?"

Jackson smiled and withdrew the gun from his pocket, cocked it and placed against the woman's head. "Tell me where Lisa Reisert is, before I blow your brains out," he said calmly, too calm for the situation.

"Who?"

"Lisa Reisert. Tell me where she is."

"There's no here by that name."

"Too bad," Jackson smirked and pulled the trigger, killing the secretary. He placed the gun back in his pocket and shook his head and tsked, "What a waste of a bullet."

Jackson walked around the desk and opened the heavy wooden door and slipped inside, traveling deeper into the office that he knew was operated by his former employers. He knelt down and placed a tiny bomb on the floor and set it before rushing forward. He moved out of the blast radius just before it exploded. The explosion reverberated inside his ear, ending the dialogue between Lisa and her captor for a moment.

Rapid-fire Russian filled the earpiece and Jackson knew that his employer, the man behind the order of the Keefe assassination, was the one interrogating Lisa. This was his target.

Screaming women and worried men passed him in the hallway, evacuating the office. He continued onwards, grateful that no one was giving him a second glance. He consulted the transmitter again, relieved to see that Lisa was twenty feet away. Now fifteen… ten… five… Just behind that door. A door was all that separated Jackson from Lisa and his employer and possibly a few thugs.

Three separate voices spoke Russian on the earpiece before he heard gasping and choking sounds from Lisa.

"Where is Jackson Rippner? I know he's here, now where is he? Why is he here?" questioned the leader, Jackson's former employer.

"I don't know!" gasped Lisa, slowly suffocating as Jackson's blood boiled. "I don't know! Except…"

"What is it, Ms. Reisert? What is it?"

"He said… he said he loved me…" Lisa gasped and then gave a strangled cry as she shoved against a wall he assumed from the crashing that he heard.

"Pick her up and let's go find this son of a bitch," ordered his employer and Jackson flattened himself against the wall.

The door swung upon and Jackson pounced, the knife in his hand, and slashed the throat of the first thug to cross his path. The thug fell to the floor and Jackson turned to meet the next, knocking a gun away and slashing another throat. Slicing throats was a hasty way to conclude his business.

"Give me the girl!" ordered his employer from behind him, he spun around and came face-to-face with a shocked Lisa; a gun held to her head.

Jackson's heart stopped. This was it. The test was here. The test of how far he was willing to go to save Lisa Reisert, the willful victim.

**Author's Notes:**

That was a pretty long chapter! Only one left! Enjoy!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Bad Things Happen**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Hello Rippner," sneered his former employer as he tightened his unrelenting grip on Lisa. "How nice of you to stop by."

"Let Lisa go."

"I think not. You see, both of you are liabilities and I simply cannot let you live. You screwed up, so, you die."

"I don't play by the rules anymore," Jackson warned before swinging his black bag into the gun, forcing a shot to discharge into the wall behind Lisa. He yanked Lisa towards him, and shoved a gun into her hand. "Get out."

Lisa stood her ground. "No," she refused, shaking her head stubbornly. "We finish this together."

Jackson rolled his crystal blue eyes. She was extremely blind and stupid at times! Why was she unable to see that her only chance at life was to leave at that moment? He had risked everything to use her as bait and to go back for her.

Lisa turned the gun on the Russian leader as he aimed at Jackson. Jackson saw the gun aimed his direction a few seconds too late, but he need not have worried. Three gunshots spilt the air; saving his pathetic life. Jackson was surprised to see the smoking gun in Lisa's hand as his former employer fell to the ground, dead. Lisa lowered the gun and shrugged at his surprised look.

"I couldn't let him kill you—that's my job," she told him matter-of-factly.

"Aww, that was so sweet of you," teased Jackson.

Lisa did not have time to reply because another thug came their way and tangled with Jackson. Lisa spun around to shoot yet another Russian who was trying to sneak up on them. She had turned cold and ruthless—a complete change from the Lisa that Jackson knew and loved. Lisa herself was unaware of her change and remained emotionless.

"Lisa! Run!" a warning shout came from Jackson as he reached into his bag. "Bomb!"

Lisa abandoned her post by his side and fled, despite her feelings that she should remain behind. She could hear the urgency and pleading tone in his voice and knew that she should listen to him. He wanted to protect her. She sprinted through the office maze, until she realized that Jackson was not with her.

Should she turn back for him? She had no pact with him—no ties holding her to him. She had every right to leave him behind. But he had gone back for her.

He loved her—did she return his feelings?

An explosion rent the air and Lisa knew that Jackson had caused it. She ran back towards the sound and prayed that she was not too late and that he was still alive.

"Jackson!" she called loudly, entering a destroyed section of rooms. "Are you okay?"

She caught a glimpse of his unmoving body and his dark hair matted with blood before the smoke grew thick and made it hard to breath. Lisa fell to her knees and crawled towards him, determined to see if he was still alive. He had done this—risked his life to save her. He had sacrificed himself.

"Jackson…" she whispered, passing out as she reached out and touched him, his skin still warm. He might still be alive…

* * *

A day later, Lisa awoke in the hospital to see her dad's worried face. Joe Reisert seemed somewhat relieved to see her open her green eyes. But his joy faded as soon as he heard her first words.

"Jackson? Is he…?" Lisa asked, afraid of the answer. She wanted to know what had happened, but she did not want him to be dead.

"He disappeared, Leese. He vanished in the explosion."

"No, no," she whispered, shaking her head. "He was with me and he was hurt…"

"Lisa, there was no sign of Jackson Rippner having been in the building with you. He's still on the loose."

Her heart soared. He was alive! Jackson was still alive! He had not been killed! He had somehow managed to escape.

"Oh, before I forgot, this came for you," Joe said, handing her a card and bouquet of assorted flowers.

Lisa took the card in wonder and opened it. The front was blank and inside was a scrawled message.

_To my lovely Leese,_

_Sorry to leave you, but I have some unfinished business. I'll be back though. I still have to steal you after all._

_JR_

Lisa smiled. Jackson was going to come back one day, and she would be waiting. She would be waiting for him and she would always be waiting for him. Until the inevitable happened and he died. Even then, she would still wait for him.

Despite everything, he had stolen her heart.

After all, sometimes bad things happened to good people and vice-versa.

**Author's Notes:**

That's all folks! I'm not too proud of the ending, but I couldn't think of anything else. Anyways, I starting writing a sequel called 'Day-to-Day' and I'm posting it today as well. Sorry that it took so long for this to come out. The site was down when I planned to post and then my computer deleted it. Enjoy!


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